Zog the alien has mixed up his Earth notes, and 1st grade students sort 12 sky words to help him. Each word goes under Day Sky, Night Sky, or Both, with tricky items such as the moon, airplanes, and clouds that can show up at either time. Two follow-up questions ask which word was hardest to place and for one new thing students could see in each sky. The answer key explains why the moon and clouds so often trip students up.
1-ESS1-1
“Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.”
The three-way sort asks students to use what they have seen to say when each object appears. The Both column catches the moon, which many students think shows only at night.
Twelve words to sort, including rainbow, sunrise, bats, owls, streetlights, dark sky, and blue sky. Students write each one under Day Sky, Night Sky, or Both.
Question 1 asks for the hardest word and why. Question 2 asks for one new thing in the day sky and one in the night sky, with kites and fireflies among the key's examples.
Whole-class sort
Write the 12 words on cards and sort them together on the board first. Students then fill in their own copy.
Debate
The key puts airplanes under Both, which surprises many students. Ask who has seen one blinking across the night sky.
Exit task
Question 2 alone works as an exit ticket at the end of a day and night lesson.
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